CUSEF Blog

BRICS Summit held online

• Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated (Zh/En) the messages in his Wednesday speech when hosting the 14th BRICS summit online, calling on BRICS countries to support each other to “safeguard justice, fairness, and solidarity and reject hegemony, bullying, and division” (“维护公道、反对霸道，维护公平、反对霸凌，维护团结、反对分裂”).

• Xi also pushed for a BRICS expansion agreed earlier, hailing the “BRICS Plus” as “a prime example” of South-South cooperation where developing countries strengthen themselves through unity (联合自强).

• All the other leaders participated — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (Pt), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Hi/En), Russian President Vladimir Putin (Ru/En), and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa (En) — highlighted the necessity of cooperation, with Bolsonaro called for reforms of international organizations including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the UN.

EU grants Ukraine, Moldova candidacy for membership

• The European Union has approved the candidacy of Ukraine and Moldova for its membership and could soon allow Georgia to become an EU candidate. Russia is now the only country around the Black Sea that is not a member of or in the process of joining the EU. President Putin said earlier this week that it’s up to a sovereign state to join an economic association like the EU.
  
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